Her Name is Luna
by The Original Horcrux
Summary: Her name is Luna and she's crazy as can be. Her name is Luna and she's lonely just like me. Her name is Luna and she can see the thestrals too. Her name is Luna and I know she loves me true. **5th Year AU**
1. Crazy as Can Be

Chapter 1  
Crazy as Can Be

_Week 1_

Luna Lovegood. That's what Ginny told me her name was, the girl with the wide eyes and the butterbeer cork necklace that had been in our carriage on the train at the start of term. I notice her everywhere now and the things that she does. I don't know how I couldn't have noticed before... they're just so, noticeable. Like now for instance, she's reading that magazine that her dad edits, _The Quibbler_, upside down and she's still wearing that butterbeer cork necklace and she's added ridiculous earrings. No one else seems to notice her, that or they're just used to what she does by now and it's no longer a shock. But it's a shock to me. I've never seen anyone so odd, but so normal.

The bell rang loudly. I pulled my bag with me as I stood up, which, of course was stuck under my foot. I tripped and hit my head on the corner of the bench. I felt my head start to sting as blood flowed freely from a fresh cut.

"You alright, Neville?" I heard Ron ask as he, Harry and Hermione got up to go to classes as well.

"Yeah" I said, seizing a paper napkin from the table and pressing it to my head. "Yeah, I'm fine" Harry and Ron helped me up and went on their way. I fumbled in my bag for my timetable, still having not memorised it fully. I looked down Tuesday's lessons until I found 1 o'clock. Damn, Divination. I honestly didn't know why I chose Divination in the first place. It was a total bludge and it didn't help that Professor Trelawney kept trying to predict Harry's death most of the time, causing us not to learn anything but the different ways that Harry would die. It was a good time to just sit back and relax, though I never could relax in Professor Trelawney's room, despite the perfume-smelling fumes. I'm terrified that she'll ask me a question and I won't know the answer, or worse, she'll ask me a question and I'm asleep. What will happen to me then?

Other students didn't seem to have the same worries as me. Dean and Seamus called Divination "the sleep subject" and spent the whole time that Trelawney was predicting Harry's death, snoozing lightly on their poufs, their heads on the desk and occasionally drooling all over their books.

I never understood anything of what Trelawney said. To be frank, I doubt anyone did but Parvati and Lavender who sat at the front on the edge of their poufs, eagerly nodding their heads at everything she said, without fail.

I felt my palms start to sweat as I realised that I hadn't done last week's homework. I fumbled for my homework diary that Gran had insisted I use and saw that it wasn't something that I could do while she was predicting Harry's death for that week.

_Write a three foot long essay on the effect that the Moon has on fortune telling when it is in the seventh house at the same time that Jupiter aligns with Mars. _

_Which planet is Jupiter again?_ I thought desperately _it's the one with the rings isn't it?_ Something told me that I wasn't right. I racked my brain for something that I'd learned in Astronomy that could help me start this essay in class.

_Mercury, Venus, Earth. _I thought as I hurried along the third floor corridor _oh, what comes next! _Before I knew what was happening, my stuff went flying everywhere as I fell for the second time that day and I winced as I heard my inkbottle shatter in my bag. I looked up, expecting to see Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle laughing and walking away, but instead I saw someone that I didn't expect. Luna Lovegood. She was crouched down, picking up my books and siphoning the ink off them.

"I'm sorry" she said in her dreamy voice "I didn't see you there. I suppose the wrackspurts were in both our heads."

"The what?" I asked, confused as I got up, still pressing my hand to the cut on my head and accepting my books and bag back from her.

"The wrackspurts" she said again "they're what caused us to run into each other" she nodded earnestly. My brain couldn't keep up. Wrackspurts? I didn't even bother asking what they were as Luna swung her own bag back over her shoulder.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around Neville Longbottom." She said, smiling softly and drifted off, humming a cheerful tune to herself. Shaking my head I hurried on. I was still at least ten minutes away from north tower. _They should have floo networks for this_ I thought furiously as I took a wrong turn through a tapestry and had to backtrack. The corridors were emptying as students made their way into classes on either side, looking at me like I was stupid for getting lost.

After two wrong turns and a chute behind a tapestry that took me down two floors I ended up asking a painting on the fifth floor for directions. I thanked him and broke into a run tearing down the corridors. Left, right, right again until I reached the trapdoor, which, thankfully, was still down, someone having just climbed up. I seized the rungs and pulled myself up into Professor Trelawney's stifling classroom.

Professor Trelawney's fumes had the desired effect on me that day. I couldn't stop thinking about Luna; the way that she had apologised for knocking me over, the way she had helped me up and handed me back my books and the way that she had so carelessly mentioned Wrackspurts in front of someone she barely knew. What were wrackspurts anyway?

* * *

_Week 2_

For the rest of the week I continued to look out for her. I only really saw her at mealtimes when she would face the Gryffindor table, often reading the latest edition of _The Quibbler_ that her father had obviously sent. It was interesting to see all the different ways that she could read that thing, upside down, sideways, even diagonally. I still found her interesting. She was like a puzzle that I couldn't seem to figure out. _It would also help if I didn't stop bumping into her in the corridors._ I thought as I made my way through the grounds to third period Herbology.

"Hello, Neville Longbottom." I heard a dreamy voice say from in front of me. I looked up to see Luna skipping towards me, a vacant smile on her face.

"Uh-Hi, Luna" I stammered, not knowing how she could be so happy when today was so gloomy outside.

"Here" she said, handing me a turnip looking thing.

"Uh, what is it?" I asked awkwardly, accepting the thing.

"It's a gurdyroot." She said happily, "it keeps away the wrackspurts. Your head's full of them."

"Um, thanks?" I said, unsure of what to say.

"That's alright." She said, before skipping off in the opposite direction. "You need to keep it in your pocket all the time though!" she called back. I raised an eyebrow as I slipped the gurdyroot into my pocket.

"Loony and Longbottom sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G" I heard a voice jeer from behind me and turned to find some first years giggling outside their classroom. I immediately felt my face flush red as I adjusted my _Mimbulus Mimbletonia_ in my arms. I wanted to say something but it was like my vocal cords had stopped working temporarily. Instead I walked straight past them, in what I thought was an attempt to not look flustered, but obviously not because the first years dissolved into peals of laughter.

"Longbottom." drawled Malfoy when I reached the greenhouses "That plant isn't going to help you get a girl, unless you've told Lovegood that it's a Crumple Horned Snorkel in disguise."

"Snorkak" I corrected before I could stop myself. I immediately wished I hadn't opened my mouth, why did I do that? Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle sniggered at my statement, their eyes mocking me. I hugged my _Mimbulus Mimbletonia _close to my chest and pushed past them towards the door of greenhouse six, where we would be working today.

"I'll bet Lovegood can't wait to shag you." Goyle shouted stupidly after me. You'd better enjoy it Longbottom, because it'll be your first and last time!"

I felt tears welling in my eyes as I set my bag down at a bench, keeping my eyes low so people wouldn't see. I heard the rest of the class come in and sit down as I kept my eyes fixed on a beetle crawling across the table.

"You alright Neville?" Ron asked me as he dumped his stuff next to me. "You look a bit gloomy."

"Yeah, I'm fine" I replied, looking up fleetingly before lowering my eyes to the ground.

"Whatever you say, mate." I heard Ron say, before resuming a conversation with Harry and Hermione that had undoubtedly been going since they left Transfiguration. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Seamus and Dean were the nicest people in the year in my opinion. The five of them always made sure that they said Hi to me when they saw me, when everyone else never bothered to even notice that I was there. I liked Hermione best though, she was the one who had helped me through first year, with getting bullied by Malfoy and getting picked on by Snape, I don't think I would've survived without her. I admit, I did have a sort of crush on her in third and fourth year, but then she turned me down at the Yule Ball. I don't even know why I asked her. Why would she want to go with Neville Longbottom? She was still friendly towards me, but she didn't help me out in potions anymore, that job had been passed on to Dean and Seamus, neither of which was too crash hot at potions themselves.

"Welcome to Greenhouse six, fifth years." Professor Sprout said jovially as she walked into the classroom, smiling warmly at me. She reminded me of my Grandmother when she wasn't being strict. I forced a smile back at her before catching sight of Malfoy and his Slytherin friends across the room making kissing gestures at me.

I didn't get it, I talk to _one _girl alone, _one girl_ and I'm getting mocked? Well, that might've had something to do with the fact that that _one girl_ was Luna Lovegood.

* * *

_Week 3_

I shoved my hands into my pockets as I walked into the dusky grounds, making a beeline towards the lake. I liked the lake; it was a place where I could pull down all my barriers and just let myself think without worrying that people would see me without my mask on. Not that it was a very strong mask though. Dean told me the other day that he could read me like an opened book. And I thought I had a relatively strong mask.

I was half way around the lake when I saw her, frolicking between the trees at the edge of the forbidden forest, letting her hand brush against them lightly as she passed them by. Even from this distance away I could see that she was smiling. I felt a smile spread across my face in turn as I found my legs walking towards her, my smile becoming bigger. Just seeing her run around the trees without a care in the world made me want to jump for joy and whoop and run with her.

My legs picked up speed until I was close enough to talk to her without yelling.

"Hi, Luna isn't it?" I said, walking to the trees at the edge of the forest as she looped around a large oak. She stopped and skipped towards me cautiously.

"Hello Neville Longbottom." She said, her familiar greeting brought a small smile to my face.

"Please, just Neville." I said, holding out my hand for her to shake. She stared at it quizzically for a few seconds before deciding that she didn't want to shake my hand and hugged me instead. I was completely taken aback as she wrapped her arms around my waist as though she had known me her whole life.

"Hello Neville" she said, cocking her head slightly as she pulled away from the hug.

"Hi" I stammered, still shocked by the fact that she had chosen to hug me. She continued to survey me in a... well... a Luna way, for a few minutes while I tried to think of what to say to her. "Uh, what were you doing?" I asked feebly, rubbing the back of my neck.

"I was looking for the moon frogs." She replied, "They always come out around dusk."

"But why run?" I asked, confused as to why she was running around.

"Because you have to scare them silly." She laughed "If you don't scare them they won't light up and you won't be able to see them." She looked at me for a few seconds. "Would you like to look for them with me?" her eyes lit up like a firework as she grabbed my hand.

"Uh, no- sorry Luna, lot's of work, maybe some other time?" I said, flustered and the spark in her eyes died. She looked disappointed.

"Yes, alright." She said dejectedly "You'd better go back up to the castle, it'll be dark soon."

"Won't you get lost?" I asked as she skipped off into the forest.

"No" she replied with a small smile "The moon frogs will guide me back." And with that, she was gone. I could hear her skipping through the undergrowth of the forest, looking for moon frogs. I shook my head, she really was crazy, but a good crazy and definitely someone worth becoming friends with.

I walked quickly back up to Gryffindor tower, feeling momentarily proud of myself for remembering the password as I passed through the Fat Lady. I sat down at a table and pulled a fresh sheet of parchment from my bag and dipped a quill in some ink and wrote down what I knew about Luna, which was not much, but so much in just a few words.

* * *

_Her Name is Luna and she's crazy as can be._

* * *

**AN: Hello! It's me! Back with another Neville/Luna multi chap! Yes my dear friends, this is the one I promised you when I finished **_**Not Alone, Never Alone**_** and it is here! Now, as you can tell, this is set in fifth year, in Neville's perspective (DEAR GOD THIS IS SO MUCH EASIER!) and will be around ten chapters long. Don't worry, they will be ten **_**LOONNNNG **_**chapters. I'm thinking weekly maybe bi-weekly updates, because, despite my promises, this is the only chapter I have finished (I can't not post a fic once I've finished the chapter.) I need some self restraint. **

**While you're waiting for this to get updated, you could have a little read of **_**Not Alone, Never Alone **_**for all you Nuna fanatics, or anything else for the rest of you.**

**Reviews are **_**always**_** valued and appreciated. So is constructive criticism. **

**Until Next Time**

**~The Original Horcrux~**


	2. Lonely Just Like Me

Chapter 2  
Lonely Just Like Me

_Week 4_

"Loony Lovegood, Loony Lovegood" I heard a few second years chant one morning at breakfast. My eyes shot up from my bacon and eggs to see them run away, giggling towards the doors of the hall. I looked at Luna to see her normally dreamy expression had a dent of hurt in it. I felt anger flare up inside of me. No one deserved to be called names. _No one. _I wanted to hex those insolent second years, what did they know about Luna? Well, sure I don't really know much about her either but she didn't deserve that.

"You alright Neville?" Dean asked me from across the table "Only, you're squashing your toast."

"I'm fine" I said through gritted teeth as a package from Gran dropped in front of me. I was surprised that I'd forgotten so much this year, must've been the fact that my _Mimbulus Mimbletonia _had been distracting me and I had forgotten to pack most of my needs for the year. I relinquished my hold on the toast and let it fall back onto my plate as my eyes sought out Luna again. She was reading her magazine, doing her best to look unruffled by the fact that she had just been humiliated by second years. But I knew what it was like to be endlessly teased by people who didn't know you, who thought it was acceptable to judge you when they didn't know the first thing about you. I knew that face. The mask that you put up to mask your hurt, pain and suffering, that mask can be a killer.

She was lonely, but she didn't mind. I didn't know how that was possible. I hated being lonely. I'm terrified of being alone. The only reason I sleep at night is because I know there are four other boys in my room who would be able to protect me if the time came. Gran says that I have a need of being with someone because of what happened with my parents when I was very young. I was left alone in our house for days before anyone thought to remember about the Longbottom's son. Mum and Dad had been out in the garden while I was sleeping and they'd taken one step outside the boundaries of the fidelius charm and the death eaters were upon them, taking them to a remote strip of land out in the country where they tortured them.

I was almost dead by the time Gran came to collect me a few days later. I've never been able to be alone for long periods of time since.

The bell rang and I jumped up quickly, consulting my timetable to see what I had next. Potions… with the Slytherins… and Snape. Why don't I just go back to bed and wallow in self-pity?

I saw Luna walking out of the hall, well, skipping out of the hall that same dreamy look in her eyes, but the hurt was still there. I could see it, even from where I was standing. I broke into a run to catch up with her, leaving Dean and Seamus standing where they were.

"Hey, Luna" I said, arriving breathless beside her.

"Oh, hello Neville, you've got a twig in your hair." She said absent-mindedly. I ran a hand through my hair and sure enough there was a small twig. The owl that had brought my stuff from Gran had probably dropped it in my hair.

"You okay?" I asked softly, looking around.

"Of course" said Luna with a smile. "Are you?"

"Yeah" I replied, confused "But I thought you might've been a little shaken up after what those second years said to you..." I trailed off as Luna smiled widely.

"Oh that, It's nothing; I'm used to it now, the wrackspurts get inside their heads and make them say things that they don't really mean"

"Oh-kay" I said hesitantly.

"It's all good fun, for the wrackspurts I mean." She replied happily. "I'll see you around Neville, I'm late for transfiguration."

"Bye" I called as she skipped off up the marble staircase.

"Longbottom" I heard a familiar voice drawl from behind me and I groaned. Malfoy. "Still shagging Lovegood I see?"

"When will you realise that you are _never_ going to get girl." Crabbe said stupidly. "You're too dumb." I rush of blood went to my head and I suddenly felt fearless.

"Well if I'll never get a girl then you'd might as well give up now. You look like a baboons backside." I snapped, not even thinking about the consequences, I was on a roll.

"You sure you want to say that Longbottom?" Goyle said, stepping in front of Crabbe and cracking his knuckles.

"Yeah, yes I do! I'm sick of you bullying me, I'm sick of taking your crap, I'm sick of you testing out your little death eater rituals on me. I don't have to take this anymore; I'm worth fifteen of you three put together." I finished breathing heavily, feeling pretty impressed with myself. But to my dismay, Malfoy started to laugh, throwing his blonde head back and letting all of the laughter come out mercilessly. Crabbe and Goyle guffawed along with him, their stupid fat faces turning into grins as they laughed alongside their leader.

"You really are stupid Longbottom, who's been filling your head with such nonsense, your dinosaur of a grandmother?" Malfoy laughed. Before I knew what I was doing, Malfoy was staggering back, clutching his nose and I was suddenly aware of a throbbing pain in my fist. I looked up from it to see Malfoy pinching a bleeding nose, that was when I realised, I had punched him.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about my family that way" I said, pointing my finger at him in an attempt to look threatening. It was short lived, because Crabbe took advantage of it and grabbed my arm, twisting it up behind my back. I whimpered in pain as Goyle delivered a punch to my gut. I felt all the wind get knocked out of me as I attempted to double over, but was pulled up short as Crabbe still had my arm pinned behind my back. Another punch, and Crabbe shifted his grip from my arm into a headlock. I gasped for air, scrabbling at my throat where all the remaining air was being squeezed out of me.

I managed to kick Crabbe where the sun don't shine and he staggered back a bit, clutching his balls, screaming abuse at me. I wondered why a teacher didn't come out to see what all of the ruckus was about. But no one came. Goyle threw me to the ground as I tried, in vain, to put up a fight as he pummelled the crap out of me, delivering blow after blow to my face, torso and groin. I curled into a ball in an attempt to protect myself. But that was when they started to attack my limbs. One of them grabbed my arm and pulled it right back. I gasped in pain as I felt it break roughly and my shoulder pop out of place. Words couldn't describe how much pain I was in. No sound could escape as they beat me to within an inch of my life and left me lying there, broken and bleeding, in the middle of the draughty corridor. All I could see was the wall as I spaced in and out of consciousness, wishing all the pain would end. Wishing for the blackness to come, and it did! The last thing I saw before my world went black was a pair of shoeless feet, blue eyes and blonde hair.

* * *

_Week 5_

"I'm asking you to tell me Mister Longbottom, who did it?" Professor McGonagall asked me a week later as I sat in a hospital bed, my arm in a cast and a bucket clutched in front of me, as I was still in danger of throwing up because of a nasty concussion. My body was still battered and bruised and it hurt to move.

"I'm telling you Professor." I said feebly "I can't remember anything." McGonagall pursed her lips in disapproval.

"Very well then, what is your last memory." She asked.

"Waking up here" I lied, that wasn't my last memory. My last memory was a certain blonde haired, blue eyed girl finding me in the middle of a corridor after a bashing.

"You do realise that we will have to administer Veritaserum to every student in the school if you cannot tell us what happened." McGonagall said.

"Just give me a few days." I asked "Maybe my memory will come back."

"Mister Longbottom, you have been in here for a week…" McGonagall started before being interrupted by Madame Pomfrey.

"And he will stay in here for another if everything goes my way. This boy has been emotionally and physically traumatised; he doesn't need questioning right now Minerva." Madame Pomfrey fussed, attempting to usher McGonagall out.

"Very well, Poppy, but once he is discharged we will need to ask him once more." McGonagall said, before walking out of the hospital wing of her own accord.

"Fancy questioning a patient while they're still recovering" Madame Pomfrey muttered under her breath, bustling back over to her office.

"Madame Pomfrey?" I asked after her from my bed as I forced down a retch "How long will I be in here for?"

"As long as it takes for your injuries to clear up, I'd estimate about another three to four days." She replied, sorting through some documents. "In the meantime, your friends may visit during visiting hours."

I couldn't help but think _what friends? _But no sooner had I thought that, the hospital wing doors burst open and Dean and Seamus waltzed in.

"Neville!" Seamus said jovially, "How's everything?"

"Not too good." I said, confused. I didn't think Dean and Seamus actually considered me as a friend, I thought they considered me as more of a tagalong that they didn't mind having around.

"Well _obviously_" Seamus said as Dean set down a basket of chocolates next to my bed.

"Gifts from the Gryffindor's" Dean said "There was a Hogsmeade visit last weekend and Harry, Ron and Hermione came up with the idea. They thought it'd cheer you up a bit."

"Thanks" I said gratefully "I appreciate it."

"So, you dying of boredom yet?" Seamus asked

"More like dying of pain." I replied with a wince.

"Oh take a joke Neville." Seamus asked.

"I didn't realise it was a joke." I said with full honesty. I was never any good at picking up sarcasm or anything like that.

"You're no fun" Seamus joked obviously enough that I could see that he wasn't criticising me.

"So, what happened?" Dean asked in an undertone. I was about to repeat the response that I had given McGonagall when Madame Pomfrey bustled over.

"Honestly, I'm kind enough to let people in in to see their friends and all they do is grill them for details. Out! Out I say!"

"See you later Neville." Dean said, tugging on Seamus' sleeve as he started to protest.

"Bye" I said miserably, eyeing the chocolates as they walked out. It really was nice of Harry, Ron and Hermione to think of me like that.

"You have one more visitor Mister Longbottom, she is most insistent on seeing you." Madame Pomfrey said, her lips pursed. I nodded before thinking _wait… she?_

The doors opened and Luna skipped through them, smiling happily with an onion looking thing clutched in her hand.

"Hello Neville." She said happily, setting the onion next to my chocolates.

"Uh… hi Luna." I said, immediately feeling awkward.

"Are you feeling alright? You didn't look very good when I saw you last." She said, her wide eyes becoming wider with concern.

"I'm coping." I said, wincing as I moved too quickly, making my head spin.

"You'll be fine!" she said "I asked the Wrackspurts to leave you alone for the moment, they're quite sympathetic creatures when they want to be."

"Great" I said with a laugh, which made my ribs start to hurt.

"They told me to say sorry for what happened to you."

Okay, so now she talks to these things? She really is crazy.

"I should really get going now, but" she stopped and leaned in to whisper in my ear "I think you were very brave standing up to Malfoy like that."

My eyes widened in realisation as all of my memories that had been stolen by my concussion came flooding back, she had been there, watching me the whole time as I yelled at Malfoy, and had been there while they attacked me. I didn't blame her for not intervening; all that would've done was get her hurt as well. She made sure that I was found by the right people. If she hadn't been there, I probably would've died. She nodded as she read my expression and pressed a finger to her lips.

"I'll see you around Neville."

* * *

_Week 6_

I've never met anyone as puzzling as Luna Lovegood, she's crazy, but a good kind of crazy. She's also not what she seems. She saved my life, and I'm forever in her debt for that.

I watched her in the great hall as we ate dinner. I was almost completely healed thanks to Madame Pomfrey's potions and medical remedies. I was still afraid of going anywhere alone, and Dean and Seamus had risen gallantly to the challenge of accompanying me everywhere, shooting death stares at any Slytherins who decided to crack their knuckles as I walked by, or look menacingly at me.

I watched Luna as she shamelessly helped herself to seconds, eating it daintily with a knife and fork, all the while with a smile on her face as if she was laughing at an inside joke. It was rather cute, adorable cute, not romantic cute, because despite Malfoy's jokes about how I'm 'shagging' her, I most certainly do not feel that way about her.

I didn't know why I found her so interesting… it was almost as if the things that she did was addicting to watch. I guess it's because you don't see anyone like her on a daily basis, someone who's completely fine with rejecting the status quo and not caring a bit about it. You also didn't meet someone who was completely content with not having any friends to talk to, and telling someone who showed concern that it was 'just the wrackspurts'

I took out my piece of paper that I'd been carrying in my pocket ever since the incident in the forest three weeks ago and added another thing that I knew about Luna.

* * *

_Her Name is Luna and she's crazy as can be.  
Her Name is Luna and she's lonely just like me._

* * *

**AN: You may kill me now. Okay, I don't really want you to kill me but you can be angry at me for taking 3 weeks longer than I said I would to update. **

**I wrote this through a concussion, so I'm dying right now (I got hit in the head with a netball if you must know) and this may be a little vague. I can't tell because I have a concussion. And I don't know what happened yesterday. I know what I did and when I did it but I can't remember the details, like stuff that we learnt in class, or what our score for Netball was, but like Neville, my memory is slowly coming back. So I **_**hope**_** that means quicker updates, but I'm a busy bum and a lazy bum…. So they cancel each other out… okay Imma shut up now… **

**Reviews and feedback are **_**always**_** valued and appreciated **

**Until Next Time**

**~The Original Horcrux~**


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